Criminal probe opened into 8 heat-related deaths at Florida nursing home

Eight patients at a sweltering nursing home died in Hurricane Irma's aftermath, raising fears Wednesday about the safety of Florida's 4 million senior citizens amid widespread power outages that could go on for days. (Sept. 13)
AP

Hollywood Police direct people arriving on the scene asking questions about workers and loved ones near a building where more than 100 people were evacuated and up to 6 people died at The Rehabilitation Center in Hollywood Hills due to intense heat and no power in the days following Hurricane Irma.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Federal, state and local authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of eight nursing home residents who died of apparent heat-related causes after their facility lost air conditioning during the power outage triggered by Hurricane Irma.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration on Wednesday ordered the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills temporarily closed, CBS12 and Fox reported. The development came less than a day after emergency teams descended on the nursing home early Wednesday when police got a 911 call about a heart attack.

Hollywood Police Chief Tomas Sanchez said 115 people were evacuated, some in critical condition. Three people were found dead at the scene, one died during the evacuation, four were pronounced dead at a hospital.

Randy Katz, the medical director of Hollywood Memorial Hospital's emergency department, said he found a chaotic scene when he first entered the facility, which is directly across the street.

"When we were called to help, we mobilized at least 50 to 100 of our employees that left the hospital, ran down the street and pulled all of these patients out of the facility and made sure that they got to a safe place," Katz said.

He said most of the patients were being treated for respiratory distress, dehydration and other heat-related issues. About a dozen remained in emergency care by midday Wednesday.

Sanchez said his office is working with the state attorney general's office and federal agencies to determine what kind of criminal charges may be filed against operators of the facilities.

He said they are determining exactly when the power went out and whether an on-site generator was used after losing power.

Some windows were closed when officers arrived, and they are trying to figure out whether that was an oversight or the windows were unable to open.

The police chief said investigators are focusing on the second floor of The Rehabilitation Center, which was "extremely hot" when officers arrived. "We're examining all possibilities," he said.

In recent years, the facility had been cited by Florida Agency for Health Care Administration for problems with temporary generators.

During a February 2016 inspection, “the facility was not able to produce any written documentation, to substantiate” use of a temporary generator, according to an inspection document from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration data base.

In a December 2014 inspection, the remote generator alarm located near a nurses’ station “failed to function” when tested. The inspectors also noted in a 2014 report that it was the “second temporary generator in at least 3 or more year which did not have any approval blue prints,” as required by the agency.

The 2014 inspection — conducted by the Florida agency to determine if the facility was fulfilling safety and other requirements for nursing homes participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs — found the facility Rehabilitation Center was “not in substantial compliance” and the operators were required to take a number of corrective measures, according to a letter to the facility from Florida AHCA.

Larkin Community Hospital and Jack Michel, a Miami-area doctor, are listed as having the largest ownership stakes in the nursing home, according to government documents.

In 2006, Larkin, Michel and three other doctors agreed to pay $15.4 million to settle a civil lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department alleging that in 1997 Larkin paid kickbacks to physicians in return for patient admissions.

Jorge Carballo, the rehabilitation center’s administrator, Jorge Carballo, said the home “is cooperating fully with relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances that led to this unfortunate and tragic outcome. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who were affected."

“The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills has evacuated this morning due to a prolonged power failure to the transformer which powered the facility’s air conditioning system as a result of the hurricane," he said. "Unfortunately, early this morning several patients experienced distress and there were three fatalities at the facility and three at the hospital they were transferred to."

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he will "aggressively demand answers on how this tragic event took place."

"Every facility that is charged with caring for patients must take every action and precaution to keep their patients safe – especially patients who are in poor health," Scott said.

On Wednesday afternoon in North Miami Beach, some 80 patients at the Krystal Bay Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which also was without power, were evacuated by bus, trolley and other vehicles, WPLG-TV reports.

Health care workers walk down streets filled with emergency equipment near Memorial Regional Hospital after eight people died and more than 100 were evacuated at The Rehabilitation Center in Hollywood Hills because of intense heat and no power after Hurricane Irma.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

In Hollywood, Fla., Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief said the victims died from the lack of air conditioning after the storm knocked out electrical power for several days.

Raelin Lohse-Storey, a spokeswoman for the city of Hollywood, said emergency crews quickly decided they needed to get everyone out.

"Once we determined that we had multiple deaths at the facilities, and that the facilities are extremely hot, we made the decision to evacuate all of the patients," Lohse-Storey said.

Jean Lindor, a kitchen worker, said through a Haitian Creole translator that the air conditioner had not been working since the storm and it had been hot inside.

Paulburn Bogle, a member of the housekeeping staff, said the place had been hot but manageable the past few days. The staff used fans, put cold towels and ice on the patients and gave them cold drinks.

Crews also began checking the status of the other 42 nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the city.

Relatives started showing up at the nursing home Wednesday afternoon trying to find out whether their loved ones were among the victims.

With the center surrounded by crime scene tape, they didn't know where to go. Police started escorting relatives behind the tape, walking them to a mobile command center set up across the street.

Gloria Flora Mitchell was looking for her sister, a 58-year-old stroke victim who can't talk.

"We don't know if she's there," she said. "We don't know nothing."

Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy called on government agencies around the state to initiate immediate welfare checks of elderly and other vulnerable people in their communities.

Temperatures were in the 90s in much of the state on Wednesday as nearly 2 million people were still out of power on Wednesday, according to Florida Power & Light.
"I'd really like to implore upon everyone in Florida to check on your elderly neighbors and do what you can to make sure everybody is safe," Levy said.

The Florida Health Care Association issued a statement calling the deaths in Hollywood a "profound tragedy."

It said the association, throughout the storm,was in regular communication with its facilities to coordinate needs. That included flagging facilities without power to oversight agencies so that utilities companies could prioritizes locations with the greatest needs.

It noted that about 150 facilities out of nearly 700 in the state still did not have full power as of Wednesday.

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Destroyed trailers wait to be cleaned up at the Sunshine Key RV Resort where residents are still not allowed on Sept. 16, 2017 in Marathon, Florida. Many places in the Keys still lack water, electricity or mobile phone service and residents are still not permitted to go further south than Islamorada. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reported that 25-percent of all homes in the Florida Keys were destroyed and 65-percent sustained major damage when they took a direct hit from Hurricane Irma.
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A man looks out at the ocean from The Southernmost Point marker in Key West on Sept. 16, 2017 in Key West, Florida. Many places in the Keys still lack water, electricity or mobile phone service and residents are still not permitted to go further south than Islamorada.
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Tim Thompson, Minister of the Marathon Church of Christ, clears debris in front of the house he rents next to his church after arriving from Homestead where he and his wife Kathy evacuated to before Hurricane Irma made landfall on Sept. 16, 2017 in Marathon, Florida. Many places in the Keys still lack water, electricity or mobile phone service and residents are still not permitted to go further south than Islamorada.
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George Bueno and others in the congregation of St. Peter Catholic Church lead by Rev. Jets Medina pray during a mass held under a pavillion after their church was damaged by hurricane Irma on Sept. 17, 2017 in Big Pine Key, Florida.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images

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Kinfay Moroti, The New-Press-USA TODAY NETWORK

Ryan O'Brien walks towards his devastated home on Big Pine Key as he tries to clean up after Hurricane Irma hit the Big Pine Key the area destroying most of the homes in the community.
Kelly Jordan, USA TODAY

Darwin Trabacco spends time with his pet chicken, Frankie as he takes a break after cleaning up around his family home on Big Pine Key after Hurricane Irma hit the area destroying most of the homes in the community.
Kelly Jordan, USA TODAY

Stephanie Matejcik gets a hug from one of her neighbors as she moves her belongings out of her home at the Sea Breeze Resort in Islamorada, Fla., after Hurricane Irma brought high winds and flooding to the area destroying most of the homes in the community.
Kelly Jordan, USA TODAY

Tracy Hanlon checks the water level, Friday, at her flooded home on Pawley Avenue in Bonita Springs, Fla. The water did not rise to the second story of the bi-level home.
Nicole Raucheisen, Naples Daily News

Pedro Castellano helps local residents load their belongings from their flooded home onto a boat on Chapman Avenue in Bonita Springs on Friday. Castellano drove down from St. Petersburg to help residents impacted by Hurricane Irma.
Nicole Raucheisen, Naples Daily News

Don Manley sits for a quick break after helping residents load their belongings onto his boat along the flooded Quinn Street area in Bonita Springs on Friday. Manley has been ferrying residents to their flooded homes since Tuesday.
Nicole Raucheisen, Naples Daily News

A home built under the current building codes to protect against hurricanes is still standing in the Sea Breeze Resort in Islamorada, Fla., as others are ripped completely apart after Hurricane Irma brought high winds and flooding.
Kelly Jordan, USA TODAY

Louis Sarangi and Carlos Hernandez and direct a boat carrying their new generator to their home in Bonita Springs, Fla. four days after Hurricane Irma hit their neighborhood, Sept. 14, 2017,
Nicole Raucheisen, Naples Daily News vai the USA TO

Andris Flores, 8, plays in front of his family's trailer that was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in Immokalee, Fla. Eustolia Flores and her four children set up a tent outside of their trailer to sleep in until their neighbor purchases a generator. The family is staying with neighbors in their trailer next door.
Dorothy Edwards, Naples Daily News

Robby Daffin sorts through family photos that were damaged by floodwaters and sludge in Everglades City, Fla., after Hurricane Irma. "I didn't know these were in there," Daffinsaid.
Katie Klann, Naples Daily News

Yvonne Trebilcock, 70, wades through her flooded yard in front of her home along the Santa Fe River in LaCrosse, Alachua County, Fla. Sept. 14, 2017. "It's never ever been that high," she said referring to the water level that was within a few feet of reaching her home, which is without water or electricity thanks to hurricane Irma last weekend. Trebilcock, who lives at the home with her husband said she gets flooding occasionally, but never to the extent that Irma brought.
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Marty Walton, an underground lineman with JEA electric, stands near his truck as the sun sets where he and his crew were working to restore electricity on San Marco Blvd. in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sept. 13, 2017, after Hurricane Irma.
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Marj Phinizy sits on her doorstep in Jacksonville, Fla., after Hurricane Irma left her with flooding and a large amount of debris, Sept. 13, 2017.
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Robby Daffin consoles his mother, Nancy Daffin, as she returns to her destroyed home on Plantation Island for the first time after Hurricane Irma in Everglades City, Fla.
Katie Klann, Naples Daily News

Crystal Holler waits for her clothes to dry in the garage of her neighbor's home in Chokoloskee, Fla. "All of my clothes came flying out of the house," said Holler. She returned home to find her clothing covered in mud in her yard.
Katie Klann, Naples Daily News

Dave Stroshein helps his wife Linda through the flood water and debris at Citrus Park in Bonita Springs, Fla. The Strosheins came back to check on their home for the first time since the storm, which was luckily still standing.
Nicole Raucheisen, Naples Daily News

People wait in line for food and water from the Collier County and Meals of Hope outside of Immokalee High School in Immokalee, Fla., on Sept. 13, 2017.
Dorothy Edwards, Naples Daily News, USA TODAY NETWORK

Islande Dillon checks to see if she has water in Key Largo, Fla., on Sept. 13, 2017. Dillon and her son traveled to check on their home after Hurricane Irma.
Andrea Melendez, News-Press, USA TODAY NETWORK

Sea Breeze RV and Mobile Home Park in Islamorada, Fla., was devastated by Hurricane Irma. Many of the mobile home owners were in the park on Sept. 13, 2017, trying to salvage anything they could from their homes.
Andrea Melendez, News-Press, USA TODAY NETWORK

Bill Quinn stands on the foundation where his home once stood in Islamorada, Fla., on Sept. 13, 2017. He escaped to a neighbor's home to ride out the storm, but emerged to find his mobile home destroyed.
Andrea Melendez, News-Press, via USA TODAY NETWOR

Drivers waited for nearly two hours to get gas in North Fort Myers, Fla., on Sept. 13, 2017. Most southwest Florida gas stations had similar long lines.
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Healthcare workers walk down the street near Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., after five residents at a Florida nursing home that lost power during Hurricane Irma died after a loss of air conditioning during the outage, Broward County officials said Wednesday. Police Chief Tomas Sanchez said another 115 patients were evacuated, including several in critical condition. His office immediately started a criminal investigation, but Sanchez did not indicate specifically what the office was looking for.
"We're not ruling anything out," he said.
The victims were found inside the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills and the Larkin Community Hospital, which sit in a medical complex surrounded by a larger children's hospital.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Macrina Cruz cooks the last of her family's food on a propane heated portable stove in front of her Immokalee, Fla., home. Cruz's family evacuated before the storm and planned on buying more food there, but many stores were out or had gouged the prices.
Dorothy Edwards, Naples Daily News

Ronnie Biggs drags a gas grill through his brother's flooded yard on in the Suncoast Estates trailer park in North Fort Myers, Fla., Sept. 11, 2017. Biggs and his family will use the grill to boil water.
Kinfay Moroti, The News-Press, via USA TODAY NETWORK

Enrique Padron puts down plastic to cover a hole in his girlfriend's roof a day after Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Naples Manor area.
Michael Zamora, The Des Moines Register, via USA TODAY NETWORK

Jerry Martin strips metal from his camper that was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in Suncoast Estates trailer park in North Fort Myers, Fla. Martin, a former Marine, plans on selling the scrap to help rebuild, Sept. 11, 2017.
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Donald Irwin and his family are among the hundreds struggling to survive after Hurricane Irma devastated the Suncoast Estates trailer park in North Fort Myers, Fla. Sept. 11, 2017.
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Richard Norwak wades through the water as he tries to check on his house a day after Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Holiday Manor area of Naples.
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People hang out near the flooded walkway off River Street as a high tide and Tropical Storm Irma activity causes major flooding in Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 11, 2017.
Josh Morgan, The Greenville News via USA TODAY Network

Miami Beach shut down to car traffic on Sept. 11, 2017, one day after Hurricane Irma hit Florida. Police would allow residents to walk from Venetian Island checkpoints across the bridges into Miami Beach. Miami Beach will allow all residents back into Miami Beach on Sept. 12 at noon.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Quiet day on Miami Beach on Sept. 11, 2017, one day after Hurricane Irma hit Florida. Miami Beach will allow all residents back into Miami Beach on Sept. 12 at noon after checking all bridges.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Miami Beach is shut down to car traffic on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, one day after Hurricane Irma hit Florida while police would allow residents to walk from Venetian Island checkpoints across the bridges into Miami Beach.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Lehigh teens, Marshaun Green and Tyler Roak, jump into a fast-moving canal along 23rd Ave in Lehigh Acres, Fla., on Sept. 11, 2017. They were looking to have fun after being cooped up for several days because of Hurricane Irma.
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Leticia Magana cleans out her trailer with son Luis Ladrilleros the morning after Hurricane Irma ripped off the roof and destroyed the inside in Immokalee, Fla. The seven people living in Magana's home will be staying at a relative's house in town.
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Cesar sits on a downed tree in Naples Estates trailer park in East Naples Fla. He and his owner Charles Pulkownik rode out the storm at home and are cleaning up after Hurricane Irma passed through, Sept. 11, 2017.
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Jose Antonio Feliu stands with his car on a blocked street in a Miami neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2017, as the clearing of trees and debris begins one day after Hurricane Irma hit Florida.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Steve Jewell walks through the water in the streets at Naples Estates trailer park in East Naples, Fla., on Sept. 11, 2017, after Hurricane Irma passed through the area.
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Destroyed sailboats sit in the marina across from Miami City Hall as people venture out during the last major bands of wind and rain as Hurricane Irma passed over Miami on Sept. 10, 2017.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Jeff Meredith, owner of Good Karma, a 2007 Beneteau which he recently purchased and restored, was happy to find the boat survived the storm after checking on the boat as outer bands of Hurricane Irma passed over Miami on Sept. 10, 2017.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Debris from a second story roof is scattered over a two-block area after a possible tornado touched down at Palm Bay Point subdivision on Sept. 10, 2017, in Palm Bay, Fla.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel via AP

Aden Alcroix-Camper, 11, walks through debris from a second-story roof scattered over a two block area after a possible tornado touched down at Palm Bay Point subdivision in Palm Bay, Fla. on Sept. 10, 2017.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel via AP

Palm Bay officer Dustin Terkoski walks over debris from a two-story home at Palm Point Subdivision in Brevard County, Fla., after a tornado touched down on Sept. 10, 2017.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel via AP

Cory Salmon, right, along with his daughter Corrie, check out Vanderbilt Beach midday Sept. 10, 2017, in Naples, Fla. The water along the beach had recessed significantly into the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Irma made its way toward the Southwest Florida coast.
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The entrance to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World is empty as the theme park was closed because of Hurricane Irma approaching the central Florida area, Sept. 10, 2017, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Other tourists attractions including Universal Studios and Sea World were also closed and planned to reopen Tuesday.
John Raoux, AP

People stand in line for breakfast in the disaster shelter at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla. on Sept. 10, 2017, in advance of Hurricane Irma. The full shelter is closed to new evacuees.
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A woman who refused to be identified tries to find shelter on Fort Myers Beach, Fla. on Sept. 10, 2017. She was heading to a nearby church hoping someone was there to take her in.
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Jonvi Delsol checks out what is happening on her street as high winds and rain from hurricane Irma arrive on Sept. 10, 2017 in Miami, Fla. Florida will take a hit by the Hurricane which will come ashore at category 4.
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Ginny Borne, left, of Polk City, has lunch along with her daughter Kayla Jemec and granddaughter Rayleigh Pickren, behind the boarded up windows at Tom's Restaurant in Lakeland, Fla. Saturday September 9, 2017. The trio was on their way to stay with relatives after evacuating from their mobile home.
Kelly Jordan, USA TODAY

Capt. Jason Sellers directs a vehicle into the garage on Saturday, September 9, 2017 at the Greater Naples Fire Rescue Station 72 as Hurricane Irma makes its way towards Southwest Florida. The firefighters moved emergency vehicles to face inward so that potential debris will not break the windshields. Brush 72 will be used as a high water reconnaissance vehicle after the storm. It is normally used during brush fires.
Katie Klann, Naples Daily News

The wind catches Calie Cartagena's hair as she and her family walk along the beach south of the Sebastian Inlet State Park. Tropical storm-force winds are expected to be across the Treasure Coast early Sunday.
Patrick Dove, TCPalm.com

A young boy steps on his sister as he moves around the tight confines of a classroom where people are sleeping at a shelter within the Pizzo Elementary School in Tampa, Fla, Sept. 9, 2017, where Tampa residents are fleeing the evacuation zones ahead of Hurricane Irma's landfall.
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A group of people wait in the cafeteria for room assignments at a shelter within the Pizzo Elementary School in Tampa, Fla, Sept. 9, 2017, where Tampa residents are fleeing the evacuation zones ahead of Hurricane Irma's landfall.
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Rough surf churned up buy the approaching hurricane damage the docks at Whale harbour in the Florida Keys as winds and rain from the outer bands of Hurricane Irma arrive in Islamorada, Fla. on Sept. 9, 2017.
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There are few people and boats left in the Vero Beach Municipal Marina, with several anchored in the mangrove trees for cover from Hurricane Irma on Sept. 9, 2017 in Vero Beach, Fla.
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Juana Garcia leans into her husband Enrique Garcia Jr. as they wait to get into Germain Arena in Ft. Myers, Fla. on Sept. 9, with their two children on Saturday. They evacuated along with thousands of others ahead of Hurricane Irma.
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Catham County residents arrive at the Savannah Civic Center to board evacuation buses that will transport them to an inland shelter ahead of Hurricane Irma.
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Yves Estinvil of Jacksonville, Fla., stands with her sister Deanna Baldwin, right, in a parking lot at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. The speedway opened up their parking and campsites for evacuees from Hurricane Irma. A man donated the use of his camper to the family to stay.
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A woman carries her dog as people arrive at a shelter at Alico Arena where thousands of Floridians are hoping to ride out Hurricane Irma on Sept. 9, 2017 in Fort Myers, Fla. The Fort Myers area could begin to feel hurricane-force winds from Irma by 11 a.m. Sunday and experience wind gusts over 100 mph from Sunday through Monday.
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The Interstate remains empty as the outer bands of Hurricane Irma reached South Florida early Sept. 9, 2017 in Miami. Gov. Rick Scott is urging anyone living in an evacuation zone in southwest Florida to leave by noon as the threat of Hurricane Irma has shifted west.
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Paul Barber, right, and Maudelene McCleary, center, help Red Grogg pull his boat out of the water along the Davis Islands yacht basin Sept. 9, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. Residents along Florida's west coast are preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irma.
Chris O'Meara, AP

Tim Grollimund looks at the projected path of Hurricane Irma on his phone while staying in a shelter in Miami after evacuating his home in Key Largo along the Florida Keys, Sept. 9, 2017.
David Goldman, AP

Volunteer Liz Degen, from the Compassion Christian Church, helps hundreds of local residents being evacuated from the city board buses at the Savannah Civic Center during a mandatory evacuation from Hurricane Irma on Sept. 9, 2017, in Savannah, Ga.
Curtis Compton, Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Hundreds of local residents being evacuated from the city fill the Savannah Civic Center during a mandatory evacuation from Hurricane Irma on Sept. 9, 2017, in Savannah, Ga.
Curtis Compton, Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Elizabeth Ponder, center, hugs her daughter Exodus Ponder, left, while standing in line at the Savannah Civic Center before evacuating from the path of Hurricane Irma, on Sept., 9, 2017 in Savannah, Ga.
Stephen B. Morton, AP

Brad Shows moves household items and supplies to his trailer as he complies with a mandatory evacuation as residents and visitors in Florida prepare ahead of Hurricane Irma on Sept. 09, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
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Thousands of people line up Sept. 9, 2017 to enter a hurricane shelter at Germain Arena in Estero, Fla. The line is close to two miles long. Residents througout Florida are seeking last minute shelter in advance of Hurricane Irma. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4.
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Police enter one of the few remaining businesses open in Naples before the arrival of Hurricane Irma into Southwest Florida on Sept. 9, 2017 in Naples, Fla. The Naples area could begin to feel hurricane-force winds from Irma by 11 a.m. Sunday and experience wind gusts over 100 mph from Sunday through Monday.
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Jennifer Nelson, senior keeper at Zoo Miami, leads a cheetah named Koda to a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Sept. 9, 2017 in Miami. Though most animals will reman in their secure structures, Koda and his brother Diesel and some birds will ride out the storm in temporary housing.
Wilfredo Lee, AP

Lauren Klein and Jason Taormina from Orlando set up a tent south of the boarded up pier to watch the sunrise on Spet. 9, 2017 in Cocoa Beach, Fla., but it wasnt much of sunrise. The hotels were empty and streets almost deserted beachside early Saturday morning.
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Fritanga La Gata owner Lombardo Espinosa and Robert Alarcon, left, work to finish boarding the windows of the family owned restaurant in Little Havana as Hurricane Irma bears down on Miami,Fla. on Sept. 8, 2017.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Broward County Community Emergency Response Team member Marie "Ms. Peaches" Huntley speaks with Reader Maye Williams on Sept. 8, 2017, while knocking door to door in the Sistrunk neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. checking on the needs of elderly and people with special needs, many of whom were not planning on evacuating before the arrival of Hurricane Irma.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Jill and Scott Gorzynski sit in their RV at the North Florida Fairgrounds after driving from Cape Coral to Tallahassee, FL Sept. 4, 2017. The couple, along with their dog, 16 year-old daughter and two of her friends plan to wait out Hurricane Irma.
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Patti Raines of the Greenville S.C. County Animal Care unloads one of the 18 kittens flown from Charleston as they leave the path of hurricane Irma, Sept. 4, 2017.
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Space Coast Aviation and Airborne Systems at the Merritt Island airport were flying most of the planes out to Georgia and putting the rest in the hangar Friday morning, Sept. 8, 2017.
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Jimmy Bierau, right, a construction manager at Houchin Construction, along with Alberto Trabaglianti, work to board up windows at a Verizon Wireless store Naples, Fla. "We've had around 15 people come by and ask if they could hire us. We've had to turn them down," Bierau said. "We have a staff of six. After nine hours every one of us is burned out."
Luke Franke, Naples Daily News

Park officials fill sand bags for residents who are preparing for approaching Hurricane Irma in Miami Beach, Fla. Current tracks for Hurricane Irma shows that it could hit south Florida this weekend.
Mark Wilson, Getty Images

An aerial photograph taken and released by the Dutch Department of Defense on Sept. 6, 2017, shows the damage caused by Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saint Maarten.
Gerben Van Es, AFP/Getty Images

Rescue staff from the Municipal Emergency Management Agency investigate a flooded car during the passage of Hurricane Irma through the northeastern part of the island in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
Carlos Giusti, AP

Joshua Alicea, a rescue staff member from the Municipal Emergency Management Agency, removes a tree while searching for people in trouble during the passage of Hurricane Irma through the northeastern part of the island in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
Carlos Giusti, AP

Nancy Holcomb, a historic preservation outreach coordinator for the Naples Historical Society, takes artifacts that are on loan and packages them for safekeeping at the Historic Palm Cottage in Naples, Fla. The Palm Cottage was built in 1895 and has withstood all weather events including Hurricane Donna in 1960.
Katie Klann, Naples Daily News

An image taken from a video posted on Facebook by Stefany Santacruz shows the view from her balcony as Hurricane Irma hits the Island of St Maarteen on September 06, 2017 in Filipsburg.
Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, cut a deadly swath through a string of small Caribbean islands on Wednesday and was on a collision course with Puerto Rico and potentially south Florida.
Stefany Santacruz, AFP/Getty Images

Search and rescue crew member Julio Feliciano ties a rope to a fallen tree to get it pulled by a truck during a search mission, as hurricane Irma hits Puerto Rico in Fajardo, on Sept. 6, 2017.
Ricardo Arduengo, AFP/Getty Images

Shoppers wait in line for the arrival of a shipment of water during preparations for the impending arrival of Hurricane Irma on Sept. 6, 2017 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel via AP

Nancy Torres, of Miami, and her dog, Elliott, an 11-year-old puggle, are evacuating to Atlanta for Hurricane Irma and stopped to get medicine for the dog since he was bloated and nervous on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017 at Martin Downs Animal Hospital in Palm City, Fla.. "This only happens when there's a storm coming," said Elliott's other owner and Torres' boyfriend, Juan Melo.
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A group of young people sew in a small stand in the Shada neighborhood in Cap-Haitien, on Sept. 6, 2017, 240 km from Port-au-Prince.
Inhabitants of Shada, a poor riverside community in Cap-Haitien, were surprised to learn that a massive, potentially catastrophic hurricane was headed their way. They are in mortal danger from Irma, but nobody had bothered to warn them.
AFP/Getty Images

Motorists head north on US 1, Sept. 6, 2017, in Key Largo, Fla., in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. Keys officials announced a mandatory evacuation Wednesday for visitors, with residents being told to leave the next day.
Alan Diaz, AP

Ron Fogle, 61, of Tennessee, left, tells his elderly mother, Marian, that he was unable to get a seat on a flight and that he would need to rent a car and drive them to Tennessee Sept. 6, 2017 at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Fla.. Fogle traveled to Tampa to pick up his elderly mother ahead of Hurricane Irma.
Chris Urso, Tampa Bay Times via AP

Aut Smith, 42, and Willie Young, 52, load up sandbags for the community at the City of Gainesville Public Works Department, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017 in Gainesville, Fla. "We are happy to be here helping people," said Young, who has been working for the city for 32 years.
Andrea Cornejo, The Gainesville Sun via AP

Eduardo Soriano of Miami, waits in a line since dawn to purchase plywood sheets at a Home Depot store in North Miami, Fla. on Sept. 6, 2017. Florida residents are preparing for the possible landfall of Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history.
Marta Lavandier, AP

Motorists wait in line to fill their vehicles with gas as they prepare for Hurricane Irma, Sept. 6, 2017, in Key Largo, Fla. Irma roared into the Caribbean with record force early Wednesday, its winds shaking homes and flooding buildings on a chain of small islands along a path toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and likely Florida by the weekend.
Alan Diaz, AP

A picture taken on Sept. 5, 2017 shows a view of the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot on St Martin in the Caribbean Sea with the wind blowing ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma.
Lionel Chamoiseau, AFP/Getty Images

Stan Glass fills four 5-gallon fuel tanks with gasoline for his boat should he have to evacuate by boat as residents in the area prepare ahead of Hurricane Irma in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Brian Blanco, Getty Images

Jackie Kreuter, 56, of Gulfport, Fla., tosses pool furniture in the pool so it doesn't fly around during the impending hurricane. Kreuter, along with her mother, husband, sister, daughter, grandson, five dogs and a bird are boarding up their home and business and leaving for Ocala to get out of Hurricane Irma's way.
Lara Cerri, Tampa Bay Times via AP

A couple walks on a beach in San Juan as Hurricane Irma approaches Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of 3.5 million, Governor Ricardo Rossello activated the National Guard and announced the opening of storm shelters able to house up to 62,000 people.
Ricardo Arduengo, AFP/Getty Images

Women pushes a shopping cart filled with bottled water and plastic boxes as they leave a supermarket in Marigot, on the French island of Saint-Martin, as part of preparations for arrival of Hurricane Irma.
Lionel Chamoiseau, AFP/Getty Images